Switch-selector.



A. F. DIXON.

SfWJITCH SELECTOR.

APPLlcAnoN mso nc.12. 1914.

Patented une 15, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. F. DIXON.

SWITCH SELECTOR.

APPLICATION EILED DE. 12, |914.

' Patented June 15, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Il Wi VV/messes.' i ,Y 1 .l V/m/emor.'

"Amos/701km.-

MOS E. DIXON, 0F NEWARK, NEW J EBSEY, ASSIGNQR TQ ELECTRIC COMPANY, F YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION @F IILLINQIS.

swrrcn-snnncron.

messes Specication of Letters Patent.

ira-tentes .rune i5, reis.

To all whom t may concern Be it mown that l, Amos F. Dixon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, Ain the county of Essen and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Switch-Selectors, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to switch selectors and more particularly it relates to a mechanism for selectively actuating a series of switch selection.

switches and suitable, fer example, for use in a printing telegraph keyboard transmitter. lts object is to produce an improved arrangement of parts vfor `efecting such' a have their movable Contact members carriedl on levers. These contact members are normally held in one position' by biasing devices acting through the agency of other levers. :individual to each of the switches is a tripping member, one or more of which may be brought into operative position by the actuation of one of the keys of xthe keythe switches and for removing the selected tripping membersfrom their locked engage-4 board. rlhere -is also provided an actuating device for locking the selected tripping members in their operating positions, locking the unselected tripping members against selection, 1and effecting the operation of the switches'corre'sponding to the tripping members which have been selected. 4

rlhis invention further provides a guard for preventing the accidental actuation of position of one of the switches, together pivoted atL 32 and normally with its associated levers and tripping mechamsm. i

Referring in detail to the drawings, a keyboard similar in arrangement to that of a typewriter is employed, the key levers 5 being provided at one end with buttonshaped keys 6, and at the other end being pivoted .to the supporting frame work 7 in any suitable manner.. Each key lever 5 carries one'or more downwardly extending lugs 8 adapted upon the depressing of its key 6 to .engage 'and depress one Vor more of the ve-bars 9 and the bar 10, which are located below the'lever 5 and extend at right angles thereto. 'Bars 9 and 10 are yswung on a system 4of levers 11 and 12; Bars 9 are normally held .inY their upper position by springs 1 3 and bar 10 is similarly held by spring 14, `The upper position of the bars 9 aredetermined'by stop 15 which acts against levers 11, and the upper position of lOvis determined by stop 16. 'Pivoted to the upper ends of levers 11 are tripping ngers 2f) having irregular shaped lugsV 21, the functionocl which will be hereinafter described. Y

Located at the left of the keyboard and above the tripping ngers 20 are the switches to be selected. 'lheseswitches comprise the' movable contact lmembers 22 and the two sets of stationary contact points 23 and 24. Each Contact member 22 is mounted on a lever 25 pivoted at 26, and is normally held in contact with point 23 by a spring 2'? acting through the medium 'of another lever28gwhich is pivoted at 29.

' When a key lever 5 is depressed, certain of the bars 9 will be selectively depressed, depending upon the numberV and position Vof the lugs 8 on the said key lever. The lever 11 and trippingnger -20 of a selected bar 9 will thereupon be advanced into the position indicated by the dotted `outline in Fig. 2. In moving forward into this position, the runded toe portion of lug 21 encounters the angular end 30 of gpard 31 which 1s eld against stop 33 by spring 34. The function whichy ard 31 performs at this stage of the operation is to prevent the inger'j20 from being prematurely thrown against the end of lever l 28. Furthermore, in the advanced position of the finger 20, the heel of the lug 21 drops down in front of the hammer bar 35, carried by the arms 36 which are in turn attached to the shaft 46 on which armature 37 of the electromagnet 38. is mounted. Finger 20 is in this position prevented by the lengagcment of lug 21 with hammer bar 35 from returning to its normal position.

Each of the key levers 5 in addition to depressing certain of the bar 9, depresses bar 10, thus moving extension 39 'of lever 12 to thc left and closing contact 40 which controls the energizatlon of magnet 38. The energization of this magnet causes it to attract armature 37, thereby raising the hammer bars 35 and forcing the fingers 20, which have been selected, upward against the endsoi` their corresponding levers 28, as illustrated in Fig. 4. This action relieves levers 25 froml the tension of springs 27, and

contact members 22 are consequently drawn' into Contact with contact points 24 by springs 45. Those of the fingers 20 which have not been selectively advanced by the depression of the key lever 5 in question, will however, be raised by the hammer 35 into a plane in which their ends lie opposite the ends of -their respective levers 28 and will be prevented by said lever ends from advancement in case any other key lever 5 V should be depressed before the magnet 38 is denergized. In the upwardmovement of the lingers 20 the guard 30 is forced outward against the tension. of spring 34 by the toe of lug 21 and snaps into a position beneath the lugs 21 as illustrated in Fig. 4. Guard 30 is thus in a position to disengage the lugs 21 from the hammer bar 35 when the latter falls back to normal upon the denergization of magnet 38, thereby allowing the fingers 20, levers 11, and bars 9 to be restored to normal by springs 13. It is thus seen that an arrangement is provided for setting up any desired combination of switches depending upon the positioning of the lugs 8 on the key levers 5.

W'hile the invention is herein shown as applied to a keyboard transmitter, it is obvious that it may be applied to various other uses Without departing from its 'spirit 'and scope. y

What is claimed is: K

l. A switch selector comprisin a plurality of switches, means for hol ing said switches in a normal position, tripping members, means for selectively bringing said members into operative position, and

actuating lmeans for lookin said selected members in their selected pos1tion, and causing said selected members to release said holding means. A

2. A switch selector Acomprisin 4a plurality of switches, means for hol ing said switches in a normal position, tripping members, means for selectively bringin said members into operative position, an actuating means for locking lsaid Selected members in their selected position, moving the unselected tripping members into a non-operative position, and causing said selected members to release said holding means.

3. A switch selector comprisin a plurality of switches, means for hol ng said switches in a normal position, tripping members, means for selectively bringing said members into operative position, actuating means for causing said selected members to release said holding means, and a guard for preventing `the accidental release of said holding means.

4. A -switch selector comprising a plurality of switches, means for holding said switches in a normal positiontripping members, means for selectively bringing said members into operative position, actuating means for locking said selected members in their said operative position, moving the unselected trippin members into a non-operabers, means for selectively bringing said members into operative position, locking said selected members in their selected positions, moving the unselected trippin members in a non-operative position an causing said selected members to release said holding means, an electromagnet for operating said actuating means, and circuit-closing means for 'energizing said electromagnet upon the selection of said tripping means.

6. A switch selector comprising a plurality of movable switch members, means for holding said members in a normal position, tripping members, means for selectively bringing said tripping members into operative position, actuating means for locking said selected tripping members in their selected positions and causing said selected members to release said holding means, an electromagnet for operating said actuating means, circuit-closing means for energizing said electromagnet upon the selection of said tripping means, and a guard for preventing the accidental release of saidl holding means and for disengaging said selected tripping means from said actuating means upon the denergization of said magnet.

7. A switch selector comprising a plurality of movable switch members, levers, means for holding said members in a normal position through the coperation of said leposition, actuating means for causing said messes m lo for selectively bringing said members into operating position, and sctuating means for causing seid selected tnppindg members to destroy the ooperation o sai levers.

In witness whereof, l hereunto subscribe my neme this 11th dey of December A. D., lo

AMOS EDIKN.. Witnesses:

E. Emmen,

K. L. Smm 

